Dictionaries and the like comprising translations of two different languages (a known and foreign language) are well known in the art. Conventional foreign language dictionaries typically provide a translation of a known language into a foreign language and the reciprocal, wherein a predetermined selection of words of each language is arranged alphabetically into a first column and a translation thereof into a second, adjacent column. Users of conventional dictionaries of this type simply look up a desired word in the appropriate language, either known or foreign, to determine the foreign language equivalent or definition, respectively. Conventional foreign language dictionaries of this type, while useful, typically do not enable users thereof to learn a foreign language, or even acquire general understanding of an unfamiliar language, when used without other instructional methods or materials. That is, to learn a foreign language utilizing such a tool would require the user to memorize voluminous amounts of words arranged in no particular order, other than alphabetical. Furthermore, information acquired from random memorization tends to significantly diminish over time.
In addition to conventional foreign language dictionaries, “phrasebooks” are also commonly utilized tools for understanding and speaking a foreign language, as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,571 issued to Renegar. Such books have been devised primarily for assisting travelers in a foreign country to understand and respond to common phrases. While the information contained therein tends to be organized, where phrases or terms are separated into categories relating to specific situations or topics such as greetings, dining situations, directions, etc., the information contained in phrasebooks is negligible in comparison to dictionaries. Therefore, phrasebooks and the like are insufficient to provide users with more than a minimal understanding of a foreign language.
More recent developments in the field of foreign language acquisition include, for instance, the method and system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,341,958 issued to Zilberman which teaches a method and system for acquiring a foreign language by way of switching-off subconscious translation into a native language with the aid of a plurality of drills. In particular, the drills consist of the simultaneous reading of a lesson in a foreign language, listening to the recording of the same lesson, and repeating the lesson to learn a foreign language.
While recent techniques and tools have alleviated some of the drawbacks of conventional learning tools, a need still exists for a simplified technique and learning tool that enables users to learn a foreign language by focusing on the commonalties between a first and second language, i.e., an “association method of learning,” such that information acquired is more readily retained.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a foreign language learning tool and method of creating the same having a simplified organization of terms based on the commonalties between two predetermined languages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a learning tool that enables a user to gain a comprehensive understanding of the vocabulary of a predetermined foreign language.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method for learning a foreign language that includes the use of a learning tool organized in a manner that focuses on the commonalties between two predetermined languages and repetition of the terms therein to enhance the likelihood of retention of the foreign language.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a learning tool that can be adapted for use by all ages and levels of understanding.
A still further object of the present invention to provide a foreign language-learning tool and method of creating the same wherein the deficiencies of conventional translation “dictionaries” are mitigated.